Build more equitable and inclusive organizations with our essential diversity and inclusion collection. These thought-provoking books offer frameworks for understanding systemic barriers, implementing meaningful change, and creating environments where everyone can contribute their best work. Written by leading experts and practitioners, our titles provide both the knowledge and practical tools needed to advance diversity initiatives, challenge unconscious bias, and foster belonging across all levels of your organization.
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Most approaches to conflict resolution and negotiation result in just temporary settlement, compromise, or capitulation. This book offers new principles and new tools to show how to get to real, lasting resolution of any kind of personal, business, organizational, or community conflict
Bias is real and we all have it, but there is good news: even though bias is part of the human condition, we are not powerless against it. The secret is building authentic, deep relationships across differences.
Everybody's biased. We all harbor unconscious assumptions that get in the way of our good intentions and keep us from working harmoniously and effectively with other people. In our increasingly diverse society this can be a real stumbling block.
Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman-consultants who also happen to be a biracial couple-argue that ultimately the only way to really overcome bias is to focus our energy on building relationships. We need to extend our circle of trust to include people who are different from us in many ways – race, religion, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, socioeconomic class, and ability. These differences can enrich our lives and expand our perspectives.
Overcoming Bias doesn't advocate setting some kind of friend quota, merely that we seek out experiences that challenge our presuppositions and expose us to people, cultures, and ideas outside of our usual comfort zone. But this also requires some work on ourselves. Through vivid stories, soul-searching reflection, and fun (yes, fun!) exercises and activities Jana and Freeman help us become aware of our own biases, stereotypes, and unacknowledged privileges. This book will provide you with everything you need to understand bias, talk about it with increased fluency, and overcome it so you can build stronger relationships.
Everybody's biased. We all harbor unconscious assumptions that get in the way of our good intentions and keep us from working harmoniously and effectively with other people. In our increasingly diverse society this can be a real stumbling block.
Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman-consultants who also happen to be a biracial couple-argue that ultimately the only way to really overcome bias is to focus our energy on building relationships. We need to extend our circle of trust to include people who are different from us in many ways – race, religion, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, socioeconomic class, and ability. These differences can enrich our lives and expand our perspectives.
Overcoming Bias doesn't advocate setting some kind of friend quota, merely that we seek out experiences that challenge our presuppositions and expose us to people, cultures, and ideas outside of our usual comfort zone. But this also requires some work on ourselves. Through vivid stories, soul-searching reflection, and fun (yes, fun!) exercises and activities Jana and Freeman help us become aware of our own biases, stereotypes, and unacknowledged privileges. This book will provide you with everything you need to understand bias, talk about it with increased fluency, and overcome it so you can build stronger relationships.
This classic pioneering book provides keen insight into workplace diversity. With new tips, tools, and strategies for peacocks and penguins alike, your organization will flourish and take flight!
How do project managers achieve spectacular results when they have no direct authority over their team members? Here's a foolproof process for engaging your team: one that begins with engaging yourself.
Project managers are frequently given the task of driving results without having any authority to back up their directives. This book helps project managers succeed when the deck is stacked against them. The secret to running spectacular projects is engaging and inspiring every person who's part of your project, so they feel responsible for the outcome. And that engagement starts with you-- you have to feel engaged and inspired yourself before you can inspire others. Ruth Pearce, "The Project Motivator" draws on principles from positive psychology, workplace engagement, and character strengths to come up with a foolproof methodology you can apply in your workplace today.
Project managers are frequently given the task of driving results without having any authority to back up their directives. This book helps project managers succeed when the deck is stacked against them. The secret to running spectacular projects is engaging and inspiring every person who's part of your project, so they feel responsible for the outcome. And that engagement starts with you-- you have to feel engaged and inspired yourself before you can inspire others. Ruth Pearce, "The Project Motivator" draws on principles from positive psychology, workplace engagement, and character strengths to come up with a foolproof methodology you can apply in your workplace today.
The only book that tackles how to manage the human factors and provide leadership before, during, and after catastrophic events provoked by nature, accidents, or acts of violence. The potential damage that can occur due to inadequate preparation makes this an issue too important to ignore.
From one of the founding executives of FedEx comes the first full inside story of how Fed Ex came to be one of the world's most successful, innovative, and admired companies. Frock reveals the details of how the company was conceived, launched, and kept afloat despite incredible obstacles.
This is the 20th anniversary revised and updated edition of a classic in the field of human resources-over 70,000 copies were sold of the previous two editions. This book revolutionized the HR field by demonstrating the vital importance of linking HR solutions to achieving specific business goals.
This is a brand new edition of the classic book that introduced a concept that has since become a cornerstone of the human resource, learning, and organizational development fields: training and HR solutions do not take place in a vacuum but must be tied to an organization's business goals. This means partnering with clients to identify what specific kinds of solutions will help them achieve these goals. Performance consulting is a strategic process that produces measurable business results by maximizing performance of people and organizations.
This 20th anniversary edition features four new chapters as well as new examples and has been updated throughout. Much of the new material focuses on measuring the results of performance consulting-there is extensive treatment of two-sided accountability, data collection, development of precise objectives, measurement of success, and sustainable improvement. And this remains a profoundly practical book, filled with tips and techniques, as well as downloadable tools, checklists, and graphics at the end of every chapter.
This is a brand new edition of the classic book that introduced a concept that has since become a cornerstone of the human resource, learning, and organizational development fields: training and HR solutions do not take place in a vacuum but must be tied to an organization's business goals. This means partnering with clients to identify what specific kinds of solutions will help them achieve these goals. Performance consulting is a strategic process that produces measurable business results by maximizing performance of people and organizations.
This 20th anniversary edition features four new chapters as well as new examples and has been updated throughout. Much of the new material focuses on measuring the results of performance consulting-there is extensive treatment of two-sided accountability, data collection, development of precise objectives, measurement of success, and sustainable improvement. And this remains a profoundly practical book, filled with tips and techniques, as well as downloadable tools, checklists, and graphics at the end of every chapter.
Build real trust in the remote workplace by mastering proven strategies for leading employees who work from home, the corner coffee shop, or the downtown office.
The shift to remote work has fundamentally changed how we build and maintain trust in organizations. Drawing on extensive research and experience, trusted leadership expert David Horsager and communication scholar Dr. Peggy Kendall present the seven essential strategies that create strong virtual and hybrid workplace relationships.
Readers will learn to do the following:
• Amplify communication
• Clarify direction
• Build predictability
• Redefine accountability
• Create connections
• Equip their people
• Leverage in-person experiences
Trust at a Distance addresses common remote-work challenges, such as unclear communication, lack of information, and weakened relationships. This guide is perfect for leaders navigating hybrid and remote teams. By the time readers are finished reading, they will be inspired and confident that trust really can be built at a distance!
The shift to remote work has fundamentally changed how we build and maintain trust in organizations. Drawing on extensive research and experience, trusted leadership expert David Horsager and communication scholar Dr. Peggy Kendall present the seven essential strategies that create strong virtual and hybrid workplace relationships.
Readers will learn to do the following:
• Amplify communication
• Clarify direction
• Build predictability
• Redefine accountability
• Create connections
• Equip their people
• Leverage in-person experiences
Trust at a Distance addresses common remote-work challenges, such as unclear communication, lack of information, and weakened relationships. This guide is perfect for leaders navigating hybrid and remote teams. By the time readers are finished reading, they will be inspired and confident that trust really can be built at a distance!
In this inspiring and practical guide for achieving better decision-making and management, Linda Tarr-Whelan shows how having women account for at least 30% of representation at decision-making tables marks the tipping point for positive organizational and societal change, and she offers readers concrete tools and resources for reaching that target.
Female partnerships are deeply rewarding and a powerful way for women to advance in a world still suffering from gender bias. So why don't women work together more often? Polk and Chotas address the myths and fears that keep women from partnering and offer expert advice on how to make female partnerships thrive.
Two distinguished scholars offer eight steps to help organizations discover and embrace an authentic higher purpose-something that will dramatically improve every aspect of any enterprise, including the bottom line.
Managers are taught that employees are self-interested and work resistant, so they create systems of control to combat these expectations. The result? These gloomy assumptions become self-fulfilling prophecies, workforces tend to underperform and resist control, and managers undermine their own effectiveness in a vicious cycle.
But when an authentic higher purpose permeates business strategy and decision-making, the cycle is broken. Employers and employees fully engage, become proactive contributors to purpose, and exceed expectations. Long-term economic benefits follow.
Robert E. Quinn and Anjan J. Thakor offer a new logic that builds on the assumptions of economics and opens a new path to clearly identifying an organization's higher purpose and integrating it with the organization's strategy. They offer a practical and counterintuitive eight-step approach to articulating higher purpose and show how to weave it into the fabric of the organization.
Managers are taught that employees are self-interested and work resistant, so they create systems of control to combat these expectations. The result? These gloomy assumptions become self-fulfilling prophecies, workforces tend to underperform and resist control, and managers undermine their own effectiveness in a vicious cycle.
But when an authentic higher purpose permeates business strategy and decision-making, the cycle is broken. Employers and employees fully engage, become proactive contributors to purpose, and exceed expectations. Long-term economic benefits follow.
Robert E. Quinn and Anjan J. Thakor offer a new logic that builds on the assumptions of economics and opens a new path to clearly identifying an organization's higher purpose and integrating it with the organization's strategy. They offer a practical and counterintuitive eight-step approach to articulating higher purpose and show how to weave it into the fabric of the organization.
What if better questions could change everything?
The questions you ask yourself shape every decision, relationship, and result. This international bestseller—over 500,000 copies sold—gives leaders, coaches, and professionals a proven system called Question Thinking to shift from reactive, stuck thinking to curiosity, clarity, and breakthrough outcomes.
Through an engaging business fable, Dr. Marilee Adams shows exactly how—and why—it works.
The landmark fifth edition includes the following:
Used by Fortune 500 leaders, executive coaches, educators, and therapists worldwide.
With a foreword by #1 New York Times bestselling author and world's #1 executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith.
The questions you ask yourself shape every decision, relationship, and result. This international bestseller—over 500,000 copies sold—gives leaders, coaches, and professionals a proven system called Question Thinking to shift from reactive, stuck thinking to curiosity, clarity, and breakthrough outcomes.
Through an engaging business fable, Dr. Marilee Adams shows exactly how—and why—it works.
The landmark fifth edition includes the following:
- 14 Question Thinking tools, including 2 brand-new tools built from reader feedback
- The Choice Map, a visual framework for recognizing where your thinking is headed
- Q-Storming, a collaborative approach that generates better questions, not just answers
- New chapter on thriving through AI and technological change
- Step-by-step practices for leadership, coaching, team development, and personal growth
Used by Fortune 500 leaders, executive coaches, educators, and therapists worldwide.
With a foreword by #1 New York Times bestselling author and world's #1 executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith.
In this fable of organizational transformation, bestselling authors of The Serving Leader John Stahl-Wert and Ken Jennings providzqe a clear and actionable model for addressing one of the most pressing challenges every leader faces: how to move employees from compliance to engagement.
In this inspiring and practical guide for achieving better decision-making and management, Linda Tarr-Whelan shows how having women account for at least 30% of representation at decision-making tables marks the tipping point for positive organizational and societal change, and she offers readers concrete tools and resources for reaching that target.
What if some of the most powerful words in your organization were “I'm not sure,” “I need help,” and “I have a new idea”? Imagine the potential for innovation, connection, and results if your employees felt courageous enough to say anything to you.
What if people could simply communicate what they are really thinking without fear of having a bad idea? When you are in a leadership position, your people should feel comfortable to learn from and brainstorm with you. It is your responsibility to create an authentic environment characterized by honesty and trust that encourages everyone to share ideas. When your people don't speak up, it's not their problem-it's yours.
Building a culture in which people are able to say anything opens up pathways to innovation that would otherwise not exist. Ultimately, this book is a letter to leaders-filled with experience, research, and practicality. Peering inside a vast array of organizations for the past decade, the authors have seen time and again that leaders are failing to draw out ideas from their introverts and, at the same time, shutting up their extroverts. Inhibitors in organizations make candid communication unsafe. As a leader, you must recognize and acknowledge these complex dynamics and then work tirelessly to inspire your team to speak freely.
What if people could simply communicate what they are really thinking without fear of having a bad idea? When you are in a leadership position, your people should feel comfortable to learn from and brainstorm with you. It is your responsibility to create an authentic environment characterized by honesty and trust that encourages everyone to share ideas. When your people don't speak up, it's not their problem-it's yours.
Building a culture in which people are able to say anything opens up pathways to innovation that would otherwise not exist. Ultimately, this book is a letter to leaders-filled with experience, research, and practicality. Peering inside a vast array of organizations for the past decade, the authors have seen time and again that leaders are failing to draw out ideas from their introverts and, at the same time, shutting up their extroverts. Inhibitors in organizations make candid communication unsafe. As a leader, you must recognize and acknowledge these complex dynamics and then work tirelessly to inspire your team to speak freely.
The updated edition of the Arbinger Institute's international bestseller—a practical guide to the one mindset shift that improves performance, strengthens relationships, and transforms organizational culture.
Most conflict and disengagement share a common root: an inward mindset. When people focus primarily on their own goals—often without realizing it—they see others as obstacles rather than as people with real needs. The Outward Mindset shows what becomes possible when that changes.
Drawing on real stories from corporations, law enforcement, military units, and families, the Arbinger Institute provides a clear framework and practical tools for making the shift—at the individual, team, and organizational level.
What's inside:
Most leadership books focus on behavior. The Outward Mindset works at the level beneath behavior—the way we see people—because that's the only change that lasts.
Widely used as a team read and leadership development text. Pairs with Arbinger's Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace but works as a complete standalone.
Most conflict and disengagement share a common root: an inward mindset. When people focus primarily on their own goals—often without realizing it—they see others as obstacles rather than as people with real needs. The Outward Mindset shows what becomes possible when that changes.
Drawing on real stories from corporations, law enforcement, military units, and families, the Arbinger Institute provides a clear framework and practical tools for making the shift—at the individual, team, and organizational level.
What's inside:
- A framework for diagnosing inward versus outward mindset in yourself and your team
- Real case studies from high-stakes environments
- Tools for making the shift durable, not just momentary
- A new preface, updated case studies, and Arbinger's latest research
Most leadership books focus on behavior. The Outward Mindset works at the level beneath behavior—the way we see people—because that's the only change that lasts.
Widely used as a team read and leadership development text. Pairs with Arbinger's Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace but works as a complete standalone.
These leadership lessons work for leaders at every level when everything goes wrong, from the doctor who saved lives after the 9/11 attacks, in war-torn Ukraine, and on the NFL sidelines.
Dr. Thom Mayer doesn’t just talk about leadership: he lives it in the world’s most high-stakes situations. From commanding the 9/11 Pentagon rescue operation to rushing onto NFL fields during medical emergencies to training doctors in war-torn Ukraine, Mayer has learned that leadership isn’t about titles or positions. It’s about action.
In this practical guide, Mayer reveals eleven provocative principles that flip conventional leadership wisdom: “Leadership is worthless . . . but leading is priceless.” “Power is worthless . . . but influence is priceless.” “Success is worthless . . . but failure is priceless.” Through gripping stories from the Pentagon’s smoking corridors, NFL sidelines, and Ukrainian hospitals, he shows how real leaders emerge not from corner offices but from moments of crisis when someone must step up and act.
Whether readers are managing a team, raising a family, or facing a crossroads, Mayer’s hard-won insights will transform how readers think about influence, teamwork, and making decisions under pressure. This isn’t theoretical leadership. Mayer offers battle-tested wisdom from someone who has led when lives hung in the balance.
Dr. Thom Mayer doesn’t just talk about leadership: he lives it in the world’s most high-stakes situations. From commanding the 9/11 Pentagon rescue operation to rushing onto NFL fields during medical emergencies to training doctors in war-torn Ukraine, Mayer has learned that leadership isn’t about titles or positions. It’s about action.
In this practical guide, Mayer reveals eleven provocative principles that flip conventional leadership wisdom: “Leadership is worthless . . . but leading is priceless.” “Power is worthless . . . but influence is priceless.” “Success is worthless . . . but failure is priceless.” Through gripping stories from the Pentagon’s smoking corridors, NFL sidelines, and Ukrainian hospitals, he shows how real leaders emerge not from corner offices but from moments of crisis when someone must step up and act.
Whether readers are managing a team, raising a family, or facing a crossroads, Mayer’s hard-won insights will transform how readers think about influence, teamwork, and making decisions under pressure. This isn’t theoretical leadership. Mayer offers battle-tested wisdom from someone who has led when lives hung in the balance.